Today we planned to go hiking and didn’t have a set time to get out the door, so I slept in until around 8:00. We got on the road about 10:45 to drive to Boquete which is about an hour away. Boquete is one of Panama’s top destinations and is known for its cool, fresh air and pristine natural surroundings. Our destination was to the Lost Waterfalls Trails (aka Three Waterfalls Trail). On the way up the mountain we passed a nice waterfall along the side of the road.
We found the trailhead and the weather in the mountains was very different from where we had come. The temperature had dropped 30 degrees and it was misting/raining. We had brought long sleeves in preparation for the temperature drop, but failed to bring any rain gear. I have a nice light rain coat that I brought with me to Panama but I left it in my suitcase at the AirBnB . . . fail! Linda got out of the car and then quickly decided this was not an activity she would enjoy with the weather as it was and said she would stay in the car as we went about the hike. The guidebook said the hike lasts a couple of hours.
Pete, Laurie, and I set out and began the climb up to the pay station. It cost $10/person and the admission fee is used to maintain the trail to the three soaring waterfalls. I have to say the trail was nicely done with handrails and rope to help along the way.
Although it was misting/raining and very muddy it was still a most excellent hike. All three waterfalls were impressive with the amount of water that was pouring over. The hike wasn’t easy, but by no means was it too hard. We’re not sure if it mists/rains everyday at this location, but it definitely felt like we were in the rain forest. We passed other hikers but did not feel like the trail was over crowded and it did take us just under 2 hours for the roundtrip hike.
Thankfully we had brought towels along and were able to dry off a little in the car. I also had an extra long sleeve t-shirt that was in the car that I brought for Laurie, but she ended up wearing Linda’s hooded long sleave shirt so I had a dry shirt to put on. Pete was smart and had packed an extra set of dry clothes so he was good to go. We looked in the guidebook for a place to eat and we chose Morton’s Bakehouse Panaderia, an all Kosher restaurant and bakery. I had a tuna salad sandwich on a baguette which was very good. I still had room after the sandwich so I went back in to pick a bakery item. I couldn’t decide so I got both a Zebra cookie (chocolate cookie with powder sugar topping and an apple strudel) and ate them both. The zebra cookie was almost like a brownie flavor and was excellent. The apple strudel was good too. I was full for sure after eating those two.
We drove back to our AirBnB and dumped all our wet stuff in the washing machine and went and sat out by the pool to warm up. By this time it was after 5:00 so the shades fell quickly in the pool area. I decided I hadn’t gotten enough steps in for the day and went for about a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood. Essentially we are in a subdivision setting with a lot of new home construction. The roads were fine to walk and their were sidewalks too.
When I got back I relaxed for a little bit before we went outside to play Sticks. We played two games and Laurie one the first and I won the second. It was getting to be a little too warm to sit outside so we moved inside and played 3 games of Swoop. Laurie won 2 game and Linda won 1. Laurie seemed to be having all the luck tonight.
Tomorrow we are going white water rafting! The tour company is picking us up at 9:30 at a mall that is right across the street from our subdivision, so we have time to sleep in a little tomorrow too. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s adventure!
Stats of the Day:
Steps: 11,566
Number of Dogs in the Neighborhood: A bunch – it feels like every home.
Number of Chickens in the Neighborhood Playground: I saw 2 adult chickens and 4 babies
Lowest Temperature it got to in the Mountains Today: 16 degrees Celsius which is 60 degrees Fahrenheit
